


Cloaks and Masks

by TheLoneliestofAll



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Romance, future smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 12:43:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7172027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoneliestofAll/pseuds/TheLoneliestofAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby Rose doesn't want to be famous, she never did; but it seems like she just has to deal with the fact that she is. When her team starts letting the fame get to their heads, how will she keep them all together? Throw in an old pastime that they seem intent on being a part of, and strange new Grimm, and she's liable to start pulling her hair out! And even through all of this, there are darker things at play; a new enemy that has a strange connection to the Grimm lies in wait.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cloaks and Masks

**Author's Note:**

> Comic books are cool. I want to be a comic book writer, so I decided "why not write something kind of like you'd read in a comic book?" So this is basically what came out of that idea, and I know a lot of it isn't going to translate since comics are more of a visual medium of storytelling; but still, I have fun with this idea, and I hope you all enjoy it for what it is!

 

1

The last thing Ruby thought she would fight against was other people, that wasn't why she wanted to be a huntress. Protecting people against the Grimm was her job, though she supposed that included protecting people from other, bad people. Fighting those capable of producing an Aura differed greatly from fighting creatures that could not, that was apparent from the first time she had to do so. Then it was a matter of self defense and nothing else. The following times were initiated by either her or her teammates; and despite their victories they hadn't got away free from injury completely. Her first assignment after graduating from Beacon was perhaps her most famous, and as she heard had been told to newer students by their old professors with teary, proud eyes and bragging tones. She could still remember it vividly. The fear she felt as her entire plan went south, the happy swelling in her chest as she saw team JNPR ride in as backup, and the victory that seemed so impossible to achieve.

"Do you remember the look on their faces when we showed up? Hah, they didn't know what hit 'em!" But it seemed that the rest of her team remembered it differently. "I've never enjoyed punching anyone more than that!" Blake laughed at her partner's remembrance. Yang never really remembered the missions so much as she remembered the violence that occurred during them. "And when that guy begged me for mercy?" Yang gave an exaggerated cry and raised her voice. "Oh, please don't hit me miss! I'll be good, I'll be good I swear!" Ruby rolled her eyes but gave a tiny grin. Her sister's love of being a huntress was as strong as ever.

"I don't remember too much of it, honestly," Ruby said. "It's mostly just a flash, a bang, and intense fear for me." Yang seemed to flinch when she said it. She could see Jaune give her a reassuring look. She hated remembering it like that. Everyone else seemed to fall for the words of the people who constantly praised them. They believed they were invincible. Or at least that they were during the mission. She didn't know exactly how this subject was brought up, especially since they all agreed to put it behind them so long ago. They rarely ever got to see JNPR because they were so busy, and now that they had a chance to talk it seemed that they were just wasting time talking about things that didn't matter anymore.

"Ruby, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" Jaune's familiar voice called out to her. She motioned for him to follow her as everyone started laughing about a joke she didn't catch. The small hotel room they were currently inhabiting could hide nothing, so they made their way outside. The scent of fresh air came to her immediately, and her hair blew in the breeze. No longer medium length, her dark hair had been grown out to where she had to constantly brush her hair out of her face. She did exactly that as a few stray strands seemed to find shelter under her eye.

She brought her hands to the railing, looking out over the Atlesian setting in wonder. No matter how many times they had been to Atlas, it never seemed to get any less astounding. The sheer amount of white and pristine looking buildings would give her a headache, but she couldn't say they weren't beautiful. Jaune broke the feeling of wonderment with a phrase that brought her back down to Remnant. Harshly.

"Are you okay?" Jaune knew she hated talking about it, she always did. Everyone praised her as a hero, but she had been desperate and afraid during the whole thing. She had no 'heroic plans' or anything of the sort. She was just a girl, fresh out of school, and in over her head. They all were. The fact that it took eight of them to accomplish the mission meant nothing to anyone, and the fact that they even had to call in backup was left out of most tellings. Secretly, Ruby thought that Jaune was happy about that. Pyrrha certainly was.

"I don't know, Jaune. I just don't understand why we can't put that dumb mission behind us, it's just so stupid. I didn't want to be a huntress to be famous, I just wanted to help people. It seems like the fame is all that matters to them, you know?" She knew Jaune didn't. His team could care less about the fame. Jaune himself hated it, Pyrrha was unaffected by it, and Ren was so out of the media that he couldn't care less what people say about him. And Nora? As a rule she was tight lipped about how she personally felt about it, but she used her fame to help people, only doing occasional interviews because she thought they were fun.

Ruby didn't really get that part. The first interview they did as a team had been _so_ awkward and it had made her really uncomfortable. Being asked when you were going to 'make that magic happen' with your partner would do that to you. And while Weiss took it all in strides, Ruby was certain that she loved this resurgence of popularity.

"I can't really say I do know," Jaune replied, "but I understand how _you_ feel about it. You remember that lesson from our Leadership class? The one about holding your team together, not only emotionally, but mentally as well?"

"I remember." She leaned over the railing, taking a deep breath and exhaling it out with a sigh of hopefulness. "If they get it too far into their heads that they're immortal, I'm not sure what I can do though." A beat of silence, and they could hear even more laughter from inside the room. "I just never thought that they would get to be like this."

"Everyone is susceptible to their own egos Ruby. It's just that Pyrrha and I had it stamped out early, and all Ren and Nora care about is sticking together. Together-together or otherwise. You and your team are some of the best huntresses I've ever seen, and the others can attest to that. I know you won't let something as small as an inflated ego get the best of you." She looked to the pure blue sky in thought. "Tell you what, we've all been super busy and haven't had a chance to hang out in, like, forever. So why don't you and I go out and do a little venting? Just like old times." The offer surprised her, but not as much as how the thought of it got her blood pumping. She found herself extending a fist, and he bumped it with a victorious cry.

"Well I always _say_ I want to help people. Maybe I should start _doing_ instead!"

* * *

2

It felt good to be out again, and the smile on Ruby's face made Jaune feel more alive than ever before. The wind ruffled her hair as they stared down over the people walking the sidewalks, and Jaune had a tiny moment of sonder as he kicked his feet over the edge of the building they were currently on top of. He shook his head at his own train of thought. He had been thinking so philosophically lately. Perhaps it was because of something one of his sisters said a long time ago; that all friends eventually leave one way or another. He couldn't bear that, he hated thinking about it. It was true that his team and RWBY hadn't had much time to see each other, but they would never all just go their separate ways. He knew that to be impossible. The bonds they forged during their Beacon days were too strong, they always found a way to make time and hang out every now and then, and even if they weren't all actually teams anymore, they still acted as one, and they still thought as one.

But it never stopped him from thinking. Thinking proved to only bring him more sorrow than happiness, which he felt was the curse that all of humanity suffered.

"They've really stepped up security haven't they?" Ruby said. He was brought out of his silent reverie violently, noticing the synthetic peacekeepers making their rounds below.

"I figured. There must have been a reason we haven't gotten many mission contracts for Atlas' region." Ruby hummed an agreement. "I'm sure that we'll get our chance, right? They can't be so peaceful, there's gotta be something going on somewhere."

"Yeah. You know... I really missed this, Jaune. Just being out here with you, keeping an eye on people. Watching out for them. It was my favorite thing to do, I always looked forward to it more than anything. Those nights before our free days when we didn't have anything to do. I'm sure my sister still thinks we got a crappy hotel room and..." she covered her mouth and giggled.

"She thinks we did what?!"

"Oops! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that, it seemed like the right thing to say." Though he was still reeling from the information that Yang thought they had anything other than a close friendship back then, he laughed joyfully at how cute she could still be. She was dazzlingly beautiful now, not that she wasn't back then, and he was less awkward. Maybe they both did some growing up. She grew her hair out and switched out her red cloak for a white one when she outgrew it. He always wondered if she did it because her mother's cloak was white. But he felt that was too personal so he always refrained from asking. Her smile turned to a frown and she instantly got to her feet as sirens blazed by them and the peacekeepers rushed after. She sent him a look of worry as a small explosion was heard in the distance. She pulled out her scroll and pressed a bright red button labeled 'emergency.' Jaune did the same, following after her as she jumped to the next roof, already unfolding Crescent Rose.

Within minutes they arrived at the destination, weapons ready. The sound of gunfire made itself known as they took cover behind a police vehicle.

"Hunters? Wait a minute, I know who you two are! Thank God, we need all the help we can get," cried the officer currently taking cover beside them. He ducked even lower as a stray bullet hit the roof of the car.

"Our teams are on the way, but until they can get here you're stuck with us!" Jaune said, the cop nodded rapidly.

"Fine with me! Anyway, here's the situation; we've got at least ten very armed, very dangerous criminals in there waving guns about and threatening to shoot the twenty or so people they have as hostage. These are likely not accurate numbers, all we've had to go on was the word of a crying woman who somehow managed to make it out before they could shoot her, and we can't get a good view because of all the heat they keep throwing at us." Ruby tightly gripped Crescent Rose and Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Miss Rose?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. And call me Ruby." She switched Crescent Rose to its sniper form and activated her semblance, disappearing from view in an instant and leaving behind a small pile of rose petals.

"Where's she going?" The cop asked Jaune.

"To get a better view of the situation," he answered. On a rooftop behind them, Ruby inhaled and held her breath, looking through the scope of CR with slightly shaky hands. The situation was too like her first assignment for her comfort. She aimed through the windows and spied two women in dark suits, each holding a rifle which she recognized as relatively new. They weren't using older weaponry, so they were more than likely part of a much larger, organized group. Beyond them, she could see three men, dressed in the same suits and carrying shotguns. There was something about this whole thing that didn't sit right with her. None of them were using very high tech equipment, and none of them looked like they had the skills to fight full on hunters and huntresses.

"What the hell..." she lowered the scope as her team joined her. "This doesn't make sense, they're all armed with standard weapons. This looks small time, but it feels like there's something else going on that we don't know about. And I didn't like the sound of that explosion earlier."

Yang cracked her knuckles. "Neither did I. I say we go in there and take them all out, we have Aura and they don't." Ruby sent her sister a glare, somehow knowing that that was exactly what she was going to say.

"I agree with Yang for once," Weiss said, "this should be too easy!"

Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud as she saw Jaune's team join him below. "What's the plan, Ruby?" Ruby hummed and looked through the scope again, they were all still in the same positions as before. One thing caught her attention.

"There are no hostages. The cop said that someone escaped and relayed that there were about twenty hostages, but this is a small store and I only see the criminals. Stay here, I'll be right back." Yang sighed, shaking her head in disappointment as Ruby appeared at Jaune's side.

"This is stupid, she's wasting time! We could easily go in there and kick their asses!" Blake grabbed at Yang's hand to calm her down, and they all turned their attention to Ruby as she met up with Jaune. "You know what she's going to say? She's going to say we should wait until more backup arrives. And honestly, I'm not up for waiting! We haven't had any good missions in Atlas for a while! I say we go off our own orders for once, it's not like we're going to get hurt or anything!" Weiss nodded her head with enthusiasm, and Blake couldn't say she disagreed with Yang's idea. So with a war-cry she activated Ember Celica as all three of them jumped down to the streets below and rushed past the police vehicles blocking the way.

They could all hear Ruby and the others calling out to them, but they paid it no mind. Ruby cursed as they disappeared inside, and the following sounds of laughter, gleeful shouting, and Ember Celica going off made her cringe with worry. Any number of things could go wrong at that point, and she knew it. Jaune and the rest of his team stood up, knowing that all the aggro was off them. Nora licked her lips nervously and looked to Ren, who looked to Jaune, who looked to Pyrrha; who shrugged and offered a sincere smile that admitted to all of them that she was just as confused as they were.

Ruby marched angrily into the store as the fighting stopped, and surveying the damage done to the establishment gave a groan of annoyance. The store was full of unconscious baddies and dangerous piles of unknown combinations of dust. Yang slapped her hands together, entirely satisfied with how quickly they handled the situation.

However, Ruby was not. "Are you three incapable of following orders anymore?!" Ruby's very shrill, very angry voice called out. Yang drew back and inhaled sharply.

"Oh, right, we're still doing that team thing?"

"Of course we are, you dolts!" Weiss held a hand to her heart, half proud, and half terrified that Ruby had used her own insult against them all. "And I'm the team leader! That means you follow _my_ orders, not your own! You could have been hurt! We didn't know what was going on, you're just so damn lucky that it was a small time robbery!"

"Actually, I don't think it was," she heard Ren call from the back of the store. "I think you all had better come take a look at this." They rushed to the back, and Ruby's gasp was covered entirely by her sister's shouts of excitement. There was a hole in the floor. A giant, gaping, dark hole. Though Ruby didn't know a lot about technology outside of weaponry, she knew that it wasn't a machine that had made the hole. It was too uneven, too oddly shaped. If it were drilled, there would be a clear pattern. If it were cut with a laser, it would be much straighter. But it seemed to be neither.

"Finally, some actual freaking mystery!" Yang exclaimed. Ruby ignored Yang's shouts and dropped down to a crouch to inspect the hole further. It was impossible to tell exactly how far down it went, or how steep the walls were. She called out for a light and Pyrrha handed her a glow stick which she snapped. As soon as it reached maximum brightness she dropped it. And then she waited. And waited. No sound was heard. Her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. If it was truly so deep, then what could have made it? To her knowledge, there was no Grimm that could do this. No _living_ Grimm anyway. The notion that this could have been done by a prehistoric Grimm was a silly one, she knew. She scoffed at her brain, and disregarding the anomaly, turned back to her teammates.

"It looks like there's only one thing left to do. Weiss, how do you feel about spelunking?"

* * *

3

"I can't believe you talked me into doing this." Weiss was disappointed in Ruby, she was disappointed in her own life choices, but mostly she was disappointed in herself for following Yang's orders instead of Ruby's, which she knew this was revenge for doing. She held onto the rope as well as she could, and repelled down the steep, uneven, jagged, rocky surface of the hole. There was no reply from Ruby, and one look over at her revealed her to be in deep thought. She mindlessly descended, only vaguely showing any sort of cognisance to her surroundings when her foot got caught in a tiny outcrop.

"Weiss?" The stark silence was thrown into chaos with her echo. "Why did you follow Yang? Why didn't you wait for my signal?" She was wondering that herself. Maybe it was because after all this time, after everything they'd done, she knew where their strengths lie. Maybe it was because she just had such trust in her team that she knew they could succeed. But mostly, she thought arrogantly, it was because she was an amazing fighter, and she knew that nothing could stop her.

"Because you take too long to issue orders, you're cautious when you don't need to be." Weiss stopped to think only briefly whether that sounded right, then her brain went right back to its normal, everyday thoughts. Namely, what she was going to say when the media got a hold of this story. And most importantly, what outfit was she going to wear? Dressing up was important in the media's eye, you had to look good for the camera. You had to show the world that you were serious.

"Do I?" That was the first time she heard the uncertainty in Ruby's voice, clear as day. The uncertainty that she knew lay underneath all of the glory that Ruby seemed to shrug off. Or at least, pretend to shrug off. She knew, she could see underneath that false sense of humility. "Do you all really have such a problem with the way that I lead this team?"

 _Team._ Yes, a team. That's what they were. That's what they always have been, ever since they first attended Beacon, and they would always be a team. "I don't, I think you're an excellent leader. It's just that you believe yourself to be lesser than you are. You're an amazing huntress Ruby, they wouldn't be telling tales about you to little kids if you weren't. You, the slayer of the cave Grimm. You, the one who brought about the disbanding of the White Fang and replaced it with a much more peaceful Faunus rights group. You, the leader of Remnant's greatest team of huntresses."

"But I didn't do any of that alone. We all did it together! Not to mention that I never had a single plan other than combat tactics! And I came up with those together with Jaune!" Had she? It didn't change anything in Weiss' eyes. Her partner was Ruby freaking Rose, the greatest huntress to ever live. She smiled in reply.

"Ruby, stop putting yourself down like that. Just embrace it." _Just embrace it. Embrace it. Embrace…_ Ruby's foot hit solid ground.

* * *

4

 _Embrace it._ The words echoed in her head as her footsteps did in the cave. Weiss' endless ramble of complaints and barely understandable issues was put to a halt when they heard the roar, mighty and ferocious. It was unlike anything they had ever heard before. Ruby tried to tell herself that it was only the enclosed space and reverb effect making it seem bigger than it actually was, but she had a nagging suspicion that it was exactly what it sounded like. More people and Faunus clad in black and red clothing swarmed past them, and Ruby put two and two together real quick.

That it was a bigger operation was immediately obvious, especially now, and that they used whatever Grimm had made that loud roar to make the tunnel was also. Their cowering in fear and running away didn't bode well for their abilities to defeat whatever it was. She opened her scroll and sent out the emergency alarm for the second time that night. They waited, and as soon as team JNPR, Yang, and Blake met up with them they ran in without hesitation. Ruby held out her hand as they reached the end of the tunnel, effectively stopping everyone. The end of the tunnel was the mouth to a cavernous chamber. Stalactites and stalagmites jutted from the roof and floor like a set of sharp teeth ready to chew them up. She shook off the feeling of dread, and with her horribly anxious teammates and equally as afraid members of their sibling team behind her, she tentatively stepped out. Jaune joined her side. The barrier no longer seemed so despicably horrible, so she gathered her courage and stepped out into the capacious, barren cavern.

 _Crash!_ The massive beast flung itself against the teeth of the cave, and they crumbled apart instantly. The eight of them shielded themselves from the falling debris.

The foremost obvious thing about it was the size. Its gigantic, towering stature was intimidating enough without is massive roar threatening to pop their eardrums.

Ruby felt terrified. She had been in a situation similar to this before, but the Grimm then was not a beast such as this. The so called _cave Grimm_ was a lot smaller, and was in fact just an over-sized Ursa. This… _thing_ was something none of them had ever fought before. Her knees shook. Jaune grabbed ahold of her to keep her steady, and she found herself clinging to his arm like she always used to.

But this was no ordinary day at Beacon, filled with lessons, fun moments with friends, and crushes that made her heart beat wild and frantic. No, this was the real deal. This is what she was trained for. Weiss' words echoed in her head once again. _Just embrace it. Embrace it. Embrace… Embrace…_ The sound of the beast's footfalls rumbled around them. _Thud. Thud. Thud._ It was slow. _It was slow._ "It's slow! Use speed to our advantage!" She unfurled Crescent Rose, and Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors, the sound of the rest of them readying their weapons was heard, and on command Nora shot off a grenade from Magnhild. They all rushed forward, lightning quick.

The beast flinched back in pain and anger as it took the full force of the explosion, the smoke stinging its dark eyes with its acridity. It shook its head in what, to them, appeared to be a slow motion. Ruby took advantage of it being stunned by shooting down at the ground and launching herself up. At the apex of her launch, she shot upwards, sending her flying down straight towards the beast's head.

She calculated her chance of hitting the exposed bit of flesh between its bony armor, and deciding that she liked her chances delivered a well aimed slice. It cried out in agony, and Ruby, not having used Crescent Rose on a Grimm in a decidedly long time, remembered what exactly she designed it for. Its sharp blade was made for this. She was no longer afraid.

She called out for another launch, and Jaune placed himself underneath her and lent her his shield. She landed directly on target, effectively sending Jaune back a few feet. He focused his aura into his arms, and with strength that rivaled even Yang's, sent her higher than before. Another shot, another slice, another roar.

"Weiss, Nora, Jaune," Ruby called out to the three of them, and a glyph appeared under her feet in midair. She was flung toward Nora at an alarming speed, and just before she hit her, another glyph formed, stopping her completely. Nora swung Magnhild as hard as she could directly at the glyph, and Ruby let out a yelp at her velocity.

She was always surprised by that. Though they had developed this way of fighting long ago. It was kind of like a game of badminton without the net. Don't let Ruby touch the ground, that was the only rule.

A hollow, vicious sound shook the cavern as Nora launched another grenade. Ruby sent a thumbs up to Jaune as his white aura completely enveloped said grenade, and with perfect aim shot a bullet towards it. Jaune's aura protected it from the impact, but the bullet shot it directly towards the Grimm. It stuck. Ruby knew they had to hurry, if Jaune lost his focus then the grenade would fall. She fell back down to the earth, and Weiss created another glyph. Yang punched her back up. "Nora! Ten more grenades!" Ruby said urgently.

"Okey dokey!" Each one was, as the last one, encased in Jaune's aura. Ten more shots, and then the beast was covered in explosives.

"Jaune, now!" Jaune applied pressure, and the grenades went off. The cavern was filled with a cry more thunderous than even the Grimm's roar. Ruby was nearly smacked out of the air by one of its titan claws, only being saved by Pyrrha managing to catch her by her hood with Miló in its javelin form. Pyrrha called it back with her semblance, and Ruby was sent flying once more by an exploding shadow clone. She was barely affected thanks to another one of Jaune's projected shields. Ruby honestly always felt like a beach ball in a volleyball game, but she couldn't really say it wasn't fun. She started into a spin when she realized that she was headed right for the titan, and Crescent Rose's blade gleamed as she ripped into its flesh like a horrible wheel made up of razor blades. It even seemed to cut through its armor.

It felt good. It felt really, really good. She lost track of where she was as she stopped spinning. She was too dizzy to continue. Yang cursed, she was afraid that that would happen. As the next in command, everyone looked to Jaune. "Yang, Nora, go for the head! Everyone else just do your best to keep her in the air!" Yang smirked.

She ran at Jaune and hit her right first into her left palm. "Launch me," she shouted. He got down on his knees, and as she stepped down, he pushed against her weight. She shot down into his shield at the same time, and the combined actions brought her to the sky. Ruby nearly collided with her, and she sent a glare to Weiss, who shrugged and looked away in faux innocence.

On the ground, Nora planted Magnhild firmly into the rocky cave floor and mounted it, and with what had become her signature move, shot off toward the creature with a _bang!_ She joined Yang's side and raised Magnhild. The both of them came down onto the colossal monstrosities head with as much strength as they could muster, while the others provided fire from their weapons' gun forms. The thing bellowed, and for a small second it seemed as if everything was going to be alright.

Thousands of tiny tentacle like appendages sprung from its hide like a swarm of insects. They grabbed Yang and Nora, holding them in a rib crushing grip.

"It would be great if we could wake Ruby up now!" Shouted Ren, who was busy chopping away bits and pieces from the slithering limbs. Each and every slice seemed to only increase its agitation. Ruby, only slightly hearing him, shook her head as one of them grabbed her out of the sky. She regained her bearings, and cut her way free. "I got ya," said Jaune as he pushed her back into the air. "God, sometimes I feel like a stepping stone."

"Ruby!" Weiss called out. She threw Blake a new clip of dust rounds, and she kicked it up to Ruby. "Use this!" Ruby unloaded her old, used up clip, and loaded in the new one as she caught it mid-air. She cocked it, and propelled herself towards the Grimm yet again. The tentacles were no use against CR, and one by one she cut them free of its black, fleshy pelt. She landed against its side and stabbed into it, holding onto CR and shooting it all the while. The recoil threatened to push her off, but her scythe held true, and she finally knocked it off its feet.

As soon as it landed, she didn't need to give the final order. Everyone rushed towards the fallen behemoth and attacked it ruthlessly. She jumped off of it, and her feet finally hit solid ground as it exhaled its last breath.

"We lost," Yang called out, "You hit the ground before it died."

"Dammit!" It had been quite a while since they last played.

* * *

5

 _Embrace it._ Ruby smiled for the camera, and she tried to sell it. She did everything she had never done before. She was slightly nervous, but she looked to Weiss and tried to copy her. She knew how this worked, she could learn a thing or two. Weiss' smile was charming, and she smiled with her eyes as well. She looked genuinely happy, but Ruby knew that it was just a show. "Miss Rose, would you say you had any trouble slaying that monstrous thing?" The body didn't vanish. It was still there. That was, to every one of them, disconcerting. But all the media cared about was how 'awesome' they were. And she had to admit… It was kind of awesome how they took it down.

She looked into the camera and waved the question off with a cocky grin. "Nah, it was easy. We just did what we always do." Weiss gave her an encouraging look. "That was like nothing for us, I kind of wish it were a bit bigger honestly. Then it might have been a challenge." It didn't sound too cocky, it sounded genuine, and that was like fodder for the media. They all loved it. Yang came up behind her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Sis here did most of the heavy lifting, but we couldn't have done it without JNPR." She saw the camera pan behind them, and she looked to back to see Nora jumping on Jaune's back, and Ren and Pyrrha laughing at her antics. It was so similar to how it was back then. Had her team been the only one to change? The reporter made his way back to them, and as the camera men followed after him she turned to watch. Jaune was clearly uncomfortable, but Pyrrha, knowing how these things usually work, took over for him.

Ruby felt the weight of the promise she had made to herself crashing down around her. The fame wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so it felt like a necessary thing to drop. How was she going to keep fighting something like that? It seemed impossible. Weiss made it look easy, and to an extent, so did Yang, and Blake. But she herself didn't know how to fake that grandiloquence that Weiss brought so effortlessly, or the bombast and incredibility that Yang used to talk of her actions. Blake was a lot less outspoken about what she did, but the sense of sensibility and literary delicacy wasn't lost on Ruby when she did.

It was exactly the kind of dilemma she would imagine those pompous rich kids to have when deciding which clothes to wear in the morning, but for whatever reason that she couldn't put down, it felt refreshing. Like not having to worry about such mundane things brought with it a surge of relaxed happiness. But it was strictly superficial at the same time. It wasn't a good feeling once you understood that. She eyed Yang warily, and she saw it all. Her shoulders sagged when she was sure she was out of the public's eye, and the bags under her eyes that were covered by inane amounts of makeup became slightly easier to see.

She wondered shortly whether Weiss or Blake were just as tired. What was she doing? Was she seriously thinking about giving into this? Giving into becoming another mindless puppet for talk shows and billboards? She didn't want that. Those were the kind of people that she and Yang used to make fun of, back when they would huddle around the TV in their pajamas, snickering at the latest fashions and pop singles made to keep people dumbed down. _That was before Yang became apart of their world._ She internally groaned, seeking comfort from her cloak despite the heat. It seemed like they were all becoming disconnected because of her. As if her hesitancy to accept their newfound lifestyle was the thing that was driving them apart each and every day.

How long could she keep it up if her team was at stake? She couldn't. That was the answer to that question. She would do anything to keep them close, even if that thing was becoming someone she wasn't. "Ruby, I know that look. You're not thinking too hard again, are you?" She jumped at the sound of Nora's voice, a hand to her heart as it raced.

"It depends on what you mean by 'thinking too hard,' because if you mean 'thinking about throwing away my life for my team and becoming more in touch with my now long-term celebrity status' then I might be." Nora snickered, but realizing that it was actually a serious situation took Ruby's hand in hers.

"Well, I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that as long as you don't let it get to your head, it's really not as bad as you think it'll be. Just try not to think about it too much, or you'll blow yourself out again."

"That was only the one time."

"And Pyrrha had to do your homework while you cried yourself to sleep."

"Point taken."

* * *

6

The underground shook once more and three men in dark suits walked briskly, clutching their rifles nervously. A roar made them all jump in surprise as they approached a lot of cages. The guard in front walked up to one and unlocked it slowly, trying not to make too much noise. "Electric prods at the ready." A couple other guards, both standing watch around the cages brandished the prods with steeled expressions. A few loud growls nearly made them lose their resolve, but they pushed onward. "As soon as I open the cage, you know the protocol." They both nodded to the man with the keys, and he swung open the gate. They rushed in and bright blue light, as well as desperate cries from a fearsome beast, flitted out through the cage.

"Take it to the lab," a voice said from behind them all. The man with the keys turned to acknowledge the voice with haste.

"Yes, sir, very well, sir!" The woman the voice belonged to gave a sinister smirk that made all present shiver with a sickening anticipation.

"The scientists tell me that the tests have become a monumental success. But they also tell me one of our subjects had escaped its cage, and that makes me very, very upset." The man with the keys started shaking in fear as the men in suits cleared away from him. "You've messed up one time too many, I'm afraid." All present save for the mysterious woman became nervous at the soft tone of her voice."Hold him down!" She suddenly barked. They knew they had no choice but to follow her venomous command.

The man dropped the keys as one of the cage guards pushed an electric prod into his spine, he collapsed to his knees and convulsed wildly as they grabbed a hold of his arms. "P-please, don't do this!" The woman only seemed to grow more excited at his terror filled pleas.

"Oh, well if you didn't want to die, maybe you should have worked harder…" her eyes seemed to glow a bright green as she approached the man. She held out a hand silently to the men in suits who were escorting the man with the keys before. One of them men pulled out a pistol from his holster and handed it to her, she tested the weight and cocked it. The man gulped. She pistol whipped him, and he let out a howl of pain. "I don't work with people who aren't completely up to my standards." He whimpered as she aimed the barrel directly at his forehead. "Sorry… oh wait, no I'm not!" She laughed as she pulled the trigger. Bits of grey, red, and white spattered against the men's suits, and the woman's face as a bunch of excited inhuman cries, howls, and groans sounded out around them. She didn't even flinch. "Take out the trash and get that foul beast to the lab! I have bigger things to worry about… namely how the hell one of our best subjects could have been bested..."

The men hurried along, making sure to be as perfect as possible in the woman's presence. One of the men picked up the corpse of what was once his comrade, as the others went to move the cage as quickly as possible.

* * *

7

Yang's voice was loud and obnoxious, but held obvious hints of excitement. Ruby felt the need to point out that what Yang was saying was pointless, and was not needed, but she held her tongue. If she actually thought about it, it was kind of a cool idea. After a short talk about what the hell Ruby and Jaune were up to, Yang and the other's seemed to like the idea of vigilantism a lot. More than she expected them to, and Yang seemed to think they needed a calling card. "I'm telling you, sis, it's going to be awesome! If we all get into this, and we wear cloaks like you do! The bad guys would know it's us after a while, we would strike fear into their hearts Ruby! We could be like real life superheroes! I'm talking X-Ray & Vav, Catman, Sergeant War Crime, the possibilities are endless!" Ruby also felt the need to point out that Sergeant War Crime was a bad guy.

"Yang," Ruby started, "if you guys want to get into this, Jaune and I wouldn't mind the company, but having something like a calling card is pointless. Besides, you said you hated cloaks because they made you itchy."

"Details, details, I could get used to it!"

"Team RWBY, you're needed on set!" The girls all looked at the door of green room with varying emotions. Ruby was apprehensive, Yang was kind of excited, Weiss seemed to be used to the feeling of pre-interview anxiety, and Blake seemed indifferent.

"Look, we'll talk about this after the interview, but I assure you my answer will always be no! It's not needed, people already know who we are!" Weiss looked like she wanted to say something about the topic, but Ruby gave her a stern look and they all decided against pressing it. As far as Ruby could tell, Weiss and Blake were in on Yang's idea, and she wasn't sure how long she could keep them from doing it anyway.

As she left Yang closed the door behind her and turned to look at Weiss, and Blake. "Don't worry girls, I'm sure she'll come around eventually, right?"

"Of course she will," Weiss said matter-of-factly. "I know Ruby, there's no way the idea of being a real life superhero is something she would turn down."

"And not to mention, we already had Weiss get someone to make the cloaks. We kind of need her to agree…" Blake said. Yang threw it all off with a shrug and left the room. Weiss looked to Blake with a slightly worried look, a look Blake threw off, much like Yang, with a shrug. Weiss rolled her eyes somewhat dramatically and followed Yang through the door. Blake followed quickly, looking down at her watch. "Alright Belladonna, let's get this over with." As soon as she hit the stage area she looked at the audience with trepidation as they all started cheering.

She took her usual spot next to Yang and looked over at the rest of her team. As she thought, Ruby looked out of place, Yang looked like she could barely contain her excitement, and Weiss looked professional. She looked over at the host of the show like she was actually honored to be there, just like Weiss had taught them all. "I would like to formally welcome team RWBY, dubbed as the greatest team of huntresses in Remnant," to this Yang did a silent cheer that the audience laughed at, "and that's not just me saying that! Welcome, ladies!"

"Thank you, thank you, it's good to be here Jon," said Yang, always the first to open her mouth during these interviews. The following questions were of the usual sort, questions about relationships, fashion, and everything else but the fact that they risk their lives for the safety of the kingdoms. Ruby was definitely ticked off by this, Blake knew that it was inevitable, and Weiss and Yang seemed to enjoy answering them. Which wasn't surprising.

For once Yang got to inspire fashion trends, and Weiss got to talk about all of the things that would normally make her seem pompous and conceited freely and openly. A question about whether or not there was anything secretly going on between Weiss and Ruby made the atmosphere of the entire interview uncomfortable. The worst part was knowing why it was an uncomfortable question for them, but of course she would never tell anyone. It wasn't exactly the type of thing you shared with the media. They would only try to force something even harder than ever.

She had read the fanfiction, she knew what people assumed they did. It used to be something they could laugh at. That was before people had taken it too far. As the interview drew to a close, Weiss silently got up and walked off of the set, with Ruby watching her with confliction. Her eyes went to Blake, and she nodded, already guessing what she was asking. Ruby went after her, and Yang took Blake by the hand, much to the happiness of the audience, leading her in the opposite direction, back to the green room to gather their personal possessions.

Ruby couldn't help but feel just a little bit ticked off. All those pointless questions that didn't need to be answered, all those conceited tones used by the interviewer; it was everything she hated. Even if she tried adapting to this life, she was sure she would never grow to like it. She broke into a run, set on catching up to Weiss. She ran through the exit door behind the set, and as soon as sunlight hit her eyes she caught Weiss leaning against the side of the building. What was she to say this time? The usual didn't seem like it would work this time around.

"Why can't they just stop?" Weiss asked, making Ruby flinch. Why couldn't they? Ruby asked herself that question night after night. "I know they don't know, but sometimes it seems like they do, and I just want to yell out 'it was one time,' but I know that that would make things so much worse." Weiss put her head in her hands and shook her head, an expression that Ruby knew was commonplace in movies when someone was going to start crying. Almost on instinct, she closed the distance between them and brought Wiss into a snug hug, one that she hoped belied all of the forgiveness she had given her over the years, one that told her just how much she loved her. Weiss trembled. "I'm so sorry for everything I ever did to you…"

Ruby shook her head and buried her face into Weiss' neck. If someone saw them like this, Lord knows what kind of stuff they would be saying about it. But sometimes you just had to risk it. "I know you are," she said to Weiss, "I'll always forgive you."

"It's just that back then it was so much easier for me, and then it got hard on all of us, on the team and you were right, we couldn't keep it up!" Ruby heard her sniffle and sob openly into her shoulder. "I still…" Ruby knew what she wanted to say. But she was aware that she shouldn't, and Weiss was apparently aware of that too. She clenched her fists and cried harder.

"I know you do." Weiss had half expected to hear her say 'I do too,' but that would have been stupid. She stopped fully expecting to hear Ruby say that years ago. "What happened back then, I know you're still caught on it, but you can't be. I already forgave you, and we were just kids. We still are, but now we know what we're doing, and we know that it would be foolish to go back down that road." She felt Weiss' hands cling to her cloak, she felt the desperation in her grip as she pulled it down slightly.

"I know, I know… Thank you, Ruby, I really don't deserve your friendship." Ruby wanted to slap her for that, she deserved it just as much as she ever had. She didn't get the chance however, as Blake and Yang joined them silently, and both of them knew that it was time to head back to the hotel and get some relaxation in.

One short cab ride was all it took, and they stumbled into the room as exhausted as could be. But Ruby knew that even after her and Weiss' conversation, she wasn't done talking for the day. Weiss took the chance to slip into the bathroom and draw a bath for herself, and Ruby sent her a glance full of concern. Weiss nodded her head, and that was the last that Ruby was going to see of her for a couple of hours. That was when Yang opened her mouth.

"Ruby, I know you said-"

"No. That answer is final," Ruby said sternly, and Blake came up from behind Yang and sat down on their shared bed, giving Ruby a pleading look. "Why do _you_ care, Blake? This doesn't seem like something you'd be into!" Blake just motioned her head towards Yang, and Ruby understood what that meant. It reminded Ruby that Blake and Weiss had something in common, something that she hadn't really thought about in a while, but something that made her stress levels rise considerably. This team really was a mess of feelings.

"But think of how fun this could be! You don't even need to wear another cloak, we'd just be jocking your style!"

"That isn't a good thing!"

"It is in this context!" Ruby gave an incredulous sigh, unsure if she wanted this to continue at all. She knew that her sister was stubborn and that she would more than likely keep bugging her about this until she agreed. "Look Ruby, I just remembered our childhood is all. I thought this would bring back a few memories, and maybe make you a bit more happy. You've just been seeming a bit…"

"A bit what?" Ruby asked rather heatedly, sending Yang a glare of annoyance.

"A bit that. Ruby, you've been very stressed recently, everyone can see that. I'm sorry if I'm bugging you, but we all need this, and you need it more than anyone. The cloaks are just… Well… You remember that care package of things dad sent us a while back?" Ruby nodded almost absentmindedly, while Yang reached into her back pocket. "This was one of the things he sent along with it." She pulled out a piece of paper, folded up into a small square, and handed it over to Ruby, who tentatively opened it up, unsure of what to expect.

On the paper was a crayon drawing that Ruby didn't remember drawing. A picture of her and Yang, done in red and yellow crayon respectfully. The both of them wearing capes, in a pose as if they were flying with a few clouds scattered about the scene. They were smiling. It brought back memories alright. Old wishes that essentially came true in a way that she had never expected. It made her chest clench, she didn't like it. But at the same time, it brought a smile to her face. Was that really so long ago?

"I just thought it would make you a bit happy, I mean, a cloak is a bit different from a cape, but every hero needs their signature article, right?" Ruby nodded again, this time slowly and more aware that she was doing it. Looking at the picture, it made her want to give in. She missed the little girl that she used to be. She missed Ruby Rose, the curious, innocent little girl who dreamed of saving people in return for nothing.

"Alright. We'll do it." Yang clapped excitedly and went in for a hug, a hug that Ruby didn't hesitate to return.

"Oh I'm so glad you agreed, sis! I love you!" Ruby was picked up off the ground a bit and crushed in her sister's embrace, and Blake smiled, reminded that some things never changed.

"I really hope I don't regret this," Ruby wheezed out, realizing that she was gonna have to tell Jaune about this.

* * *

8

"Hold on, hold on, cloaks? You guys are just all gonna wear cloaks out there?! Dude, that's… awesome!" Ruby wanted to shake her head at Jaune's exclamation, and at Yang for nodding her head and smiling at his words.

"See Ruby, Jaune gets it! It's like a call sign! Our brand! Catman has his whip, Batdude has his gadgets, we have our cloaks!" Jaune gave her a high five as she said it, making her stance even wider and more cocky than usual. Ruby just wanted to lay down, it was late and she didn't think she had it in her to deal with this all right now.

"You know what," interrupted Nora, "I think since they're joining you guys on your little trips, me, Pyrrha, and Ren should go with you guys as well! OOH, but we need a cool gimmick too!" Jaune put a hand up to his chin, and Ruby couldn't believe that he was seriously thinking about this. Jaune was a bit more down to earth than the others, and she was hoping that he would say something to prove it. Something like-

"Masks, we can wear masks!" Not at all similar to what he just said. She slapped her palm against her forehead and groaned.

"Ruby, it's just a little bit of fun," Weiss said, and Pyrrha, Yang, and Nora piped up in agreement. "Besides, it's been awhile since we've all had that together."

"Look, Weiss, I already agreed, there's no need to keep on trying. I just think it's a bit dumb that they need something like this too. I mean, come on Jaune, masks?" Jaune shrugged.

"Just imagine it, Rubes," he said, the old familiar excitement coming into his voice as he called her by her old nickname. It sent shivers down her spine. "All of us facing down the bad guys, you guys with your hoods on, obscuring your features, hiding them all behind shadows. They're afraid of you guys, they know the hoods, they know what you're capable of. And then WHOOSH, we come in…" Jaune walked up to her, and circled around her, making somewhat exaggerated hand motions, "Team JNPR, they know us as well, our faces behind masks. Masks that they look at, and they see their eminent failure.

"They look between us, and they shudder. They realize they're outmatched." He finished. Ruby couldn't help but smile a bit as she imagined the look of fear on the bad guys' faces.

"Okay, yeah that does sound… pretty awesome." Jaune slaps her on her shoulder.

"There's the Ruby I know!" She turned to look into his bright, shining eyes, and she felt a familiar feeling rise up in her chest at the sight. He looked so happy, he looked like he did when they met and talked for what seemed like nearly a whole hour as they got lost trying to find their way around Beacon.

It was as if… they were those lonely, socially awkward kids again who somehow managed to find each other.

She really didn't want to think about it too much, it would make her feel old. And none of them were old enough to feel old quite yet.

"Okay, well then, if we're going to do this, we need to get some rest. We've got some planning to do tomorrow!" Ruby said excitedly, suddenly in high spirits. After all, she thought, maybe this is what they all needed to really come together again after so long. Maybe this will knock some sense of humility back into her team. She hummed happily and walked out of the hotel room, feeling like enjoying the crisp night air.

Jaune decided to join her as the others just stared amongst themselves.

"Well," started Yang, "if I had known it would be that easy, I'd have gotten Vomit Boy in on this much sooner."


End file.
